Protective armor panels

Abstract

Protective armor panels comprising a grid formed of a plurality of strips of material having a front edge, a back edge, and side surfaces and a sheet of material secured to the front surface of the grid are disclosed. The strips of material can be contoured to form an armor panel having virtually any arbitrary shape.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A protective armor panel comprising:
 a sheet of material; 
 a plurality of strips forming a grid operably coupled to the sheet of material, wherein the strips each have a front edge, a back edge, and side faces, the side faces being oriented generally transverse to the sheet of material and the front and back edges being parallel to the sheet of material; and 
 wherein one or more strips include first strips having a first depth, the first depth being a first distance from the front edges to the back edges of the first strips measured perpendicular to the front and back edges of the first strip; 
 wherein the one or more strips include second strips have a second depth, the second depth being a second distance from the front edges to the back edges of the second strips and measured perpendicular to the front and back edges of the second strips, the second depth being different than the first depth; 
 wherein the first strips are positioned crosswise to the second strips in a plane parallel to the front and back edges and interlocking with slits defined in the second strips; and 
 wherein the first and second strips have a thickness between the side faces thereof that is less than the first and second depths, the thickness being a third distance from a first side face of the side faces of the each strip of the first and second strips to a second side face of the side faces of the each strip. 
 
     
     
       2. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the sheet of material comprises at least one of aluminum alloy, titanium, stainless steel, or Kevlar. 
     
     
       3. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the sheet of material is a first sheet of material, the protective armor panel further comprising a second sheet of material positioned opposite the first sheet of material. 
     
     
       4. The protective armor panel of  claim 3  wherein the second sheet of material comprises at least one of aluminum alloy, titanium, stainless steel, or Kevlar. 
     
     
       5. The protective armor panel of  claim 3  wherein the first sheet of material has an first aperture and the second sheet of material has a second aperture. 
     
     
       6. The protective armor panel of  claim 5  wherein the first aperture is aligned with the second aperture. 
     
     
       7. The protective armor panel of  claim 5  wherein the first aperture is partially aligned with the second aperture. 
     
     
       8. The protective armor panel of  claim 5  wherein the first aperture is offset from the second aperture. 
     
     
       9. The protective armor panel of  claim 3  wherein the first sheet of material and the second sheet of material are attached together with a fastener that passes through a portion of the grid. 
     
     
       10. The protective armor panel of  claim 3  wherein the fastener comprises one or more of a rivet, a bolt, or a threaded fastener. 
     
     
       11. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the sheet of material partially covers the grid and wherein a portion of the grid is exposed through the sheet of material. 
     
     
       12. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the grid is made from a metal selected from the group consisting an aluminum alloy, titanium and stainless steel. 
     
     
       13. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the strips are contoured. 
     
     
       14. The protective armor panel of  claim 13  wherein the grid forms a breastplate. 
     
     
       15. The protective armor panel of  claim 13 , further comprising a contoured polymer layer forming a sheet, wherein the grid is positioned at least partially within the polymer layer. 
     
     
       16. The protective armor panel of claim wherein the first depth is between ¼ and 1½ inch, and the second depth is between ⅜ inch and ½ inch. 
     
     
       17. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the first depth is larger than the second depth, and wherein the sheet of material includes openings, and further wherein a portion of the strips having the first depth extend through the openings and protrude from the sheet of material. 
     
     
       18. The protective armor panel of  claim 1  wherein the first depth is larger than the second depth, and wherein the sheet of material is secured to the portion of the strips having the first depth. 
     
     
       19. A protective armor panel, comprising:
 a plurality of strips forming a grid, the strips having a front edge, a back edge opposite the front edge, and side surfaces, wherein the side surfaces are substantially parallel, and wherein the grid has a front side and a back side opposite the front side; 
 a front plate of titanium secured to the front side of the grid and substantially covering the front side of the grid; and 
 a back plate of Kevlar secured to the back side of the grid and substantially covering the back side of the grid; 
 wherein each strip of the plurality of strips has both first and second portions, the first and second portions positioned alternating with one another along a length of the front and back edges of the each strip, the first portions of the each strip having a first depth between the front and back edges thereof and the second portions of the each strip being positioned between first portions of the each strip along the front and back edges and having a second depth between the front and back edges thereof, the second depth being greater than the first depth, the first depth of the first portions of the each strip being a first distance from the front edge to the back edge of the first portions of the each strip measured parallel to the side surfaces of the each strip and the second depth of the second portions of the each strip being a second distance from the front edge to the back edge of the second portions of the each strip measured parallel to the side surfaces of the each strip; and 
 wherein the side surfaces are perpendicularly to and extend between the front and back plates and the front and back edges are parallel to the front and back plates, the front edges interfacing with the front plate and the back edges interfacing with the back plate. 
 
     
     
       20. The protective armor panel of  claim 19  wherein the plurality of strips are contoured. 
     
     
       21. The protective armor panel of  claim 19  wherein the grid is a first grid, the protective armor panel further comprising a second grid having a plurality of strips, and wherein the plurality of strips in the second grid are offset from the strips in the first grid. 
     
     
       22. The protective armor panel of  claim 19  wherein the second portions protrude through the front plate. 
     
     
       23. The protective armor panel of  claim 22  wherein the back plate is positioned between the first grid and the second grid. 
     
     
       24. The protective armor panel of  claim 21  wherein the strips in the first and second grids are contoured. 
     
     
       25. The protective armor panel of  claim 19 , further comprising a polymer layer forming a sheet, wherein the grid is positioned at least partially within the polymer layer. 
     
     
       26. A method of manufacturing a protective armor panel, comprising:
 forming a plurality of generally thin strips of material having side surfaces, a length, a front edge, a back edge, and a depth; 
 arranging the strips into a grid with the side surfaces generally parallel and the back edges generally coplanar; and 
 securing a sheet of material to the front edge of the strips;
 securing a back plate to the back edge of the strips. 
 
 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26  wherein forming the plurality of generally thin strips comprises forming first strips having a first depth and second strips having a second depth different than the first depth. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27  wherein arranging the strips into a grid with the back edges generally coplanar comprises arranging the strips into a grid with the front edges of the first strips protruding beyond the front edges of the second strips. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 26 , further comprising securing the front plate to the back plate through the grid. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 26  wherein forming the plurality of generally thin strips comprises forming a plurality of generally thin strips having a contour. 
     
     
       31. A protective armor panel comprising a plurality of strips each having a front edge, a back edge, and side faces, wherein the strips are arranged in a grid with their side faces generally parallel, the grid having a front side and a back side, wherein the grid is configured to fragment an incoming projectile as the projectile strikes one or more of the strips;
 wherein the plurality of strips include first strips having a first depth along the side faces thereof and one or more second strips have a second depth along the side faces thereof, the second depth being different than the first depth, the first depth being a distance from the front edge to the back edge of the first strips measured parallel to the side faces of the first strips and the second depth being a distance from the front edge to the back edge of the second strips measured parallel to the side faces of the second strips; and 
 wherein the first strips are positioned crosswise to and interlocking with the second strips, the second strips defining slits having the first strips inserted in the slits the first and second strips positioned such that the side faces of the first and second strips protrude perpendicular to the front and back sides of the grid and the front and back edges of the first and second strips are parallel to and interface with the front and back sides of the grid. 
 
     
     
       32. The protective armor panel of  claim 31 , further comprising a sheet of material secured to the grid. 
     
     
       33. The protective armor panel of  claim 32  wherein the sheet of material is a first sheet of material secured to the front side of the protective armor panel, the protective armor panel further comprising a second sheet of material secured to the second side of the protective armor panel. 
     
     
       34. The protective armor panel of  claim 32  wherein the sheet of material is made of titanium or Kevlar. 
     
     
       35. The protective armor panel of  claim 31  wherein the strips are made of aluminum alloy, titanium, or stainless steel. 
     
     
       36. The protective armor panel of  claim 31 , further comprising a vehicle having a fluid intake port, wherein the protective armor panel is positioned to at least partially cover the fluid intake port and permit fluid to pass between the strips and into the vehicle. 
     
     
       37. The protective armor panel of  claim 31  wherein the strips have a thickness and a depth measured perpendicular to the thickness, and wherein the thickness/depth ratio is between 3.6 and 0.0466. 
     
     
       38. The protective armor panel of  claim 31  wherein the strips are made of ballistic grade materials. 
     
     
       39. The protective armor panel of  claim 31  wherein the grid is a first grid, the protective armor panel further comprising a second grid generally parallel to the first grid with strips of the second grid offset from strips of the first grid. 
     
     
       40. The protective armor panel of  claim 19 , wherein the second portions protrude through the front panel. 
     
     
       41. The protective armor panel of  claim 19 , wherein the front panel sits against the second portions providing a gap between the front plate and the first portions, the gap enabling air flow through the protective armor panel.